Burden Overall effect of numerous regulations is a heavy load on small business. UK govt wants to check tech/ military deals over £1m (was £70m). More red-tape = more executive time on form-filling, while overseas competitors win customers. Guessed the Word? Series 11(3/4) [photo: joakant]
Month: October 2017
Guess the Word and Contact Us for prizes! Series 11 starts soon. 1st letter of each post Title (in a Series) spells a business word (spelt correctly, backwards, jumbled up or as an anagram). Previous answers: Series 10 spelt H-A-R-K-M-A-L-L (HALLMARK) Series 9 spelt B-U-G-T-E-D (BUDGET) Series 8 spelt R-A-T-E-D (TRADE) Series 7 spelt P-A-L-N (PLAN)…
Lorry 70% of UK’s trade with EU – fresh food, perishables, ‘just-in-time’ parts – enter/ leave in a lorry. 10,000 lorries go through Dover each day. On average, each stops for just 2 mins for border checks. If wait time doubled to 4 mins, there’d be 17-mile tailbacks across Kent. Guessed the Word? …
Life expectancy After rising for so long, since 2014, life expectancy has reversed & is falling in the EU and USA. Falls in Germany, France & Italy steeper than in UK, and greater in women than men. Cause unknown: Flu? Obesity? Pollution? Guessed the Word? Series 10 (4/8) [photo: aitoff]
Agriculture In an uncertain world, food security is essential. UK produced 80% of its own food 30 years ago. Today it’s 60%. Will be 50% in 10 years. Farmland is 70% of UK land area. Good incentives help farmers, environment & rural communities flourish. Guessed the Word? Series 10 (2/8) [photo: alexandr podvalny]
Mental health Pressure on owners/ founders of small firms can be immense. Funding challenges and appearing strong in front of clients, investors & staff add to the stress. Mental health issues affect about 1 in 4 people. Guessed the Word? Series 10 (5/8) [photo: jniittymaa0]
K-pop Smartphones. Cars. Now South Korean pop music is a global export, with cute performers, catchy beats & elaborate choreography. Population of 51m is world’s 8th-largest recorded-music market, by sales. 2012 Gangnam Style video was 1st to surpass 1bn, then 2bn, views on YouTube. Guessed the Word? Series 10 (8/8) [photo: Public_Domain_Photo]
Red tape A bonfire of red tape would reduce the burden of regulation on law-abiding firms, and level the playing field against those who never play by the rules. Guessed the Word? Series 10 (7/8) [photo:manolofranco]
Attention The average person’s attention span is now 8 seconds; shorter than that of a goldfish. A “dopamine loop” starts when we seek something online, we feel a “reward” when we find it, then crave the next hit Guessed the Word? Series 10 (6/8) [photo:stux]
Hemline index Women’s skirts get shorter in an upturn, but revert to more conservative lengths when things aren’t so good. George Taylor’s 1920s economic measure still holds up Guessed the Word? Series 10 (1/8) [photo: Alba_Benavides]